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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cue — a signal
  5. snap — to click
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cue — for pool
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cue — a hint
  16. branch — a division
  17. chair — a leader
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rock — music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rock — a stone
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com